Friday 22 March 2013

Glamorous Life :-)

I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God
 who is sending a love letter to the world.
-Mother Teresa


"The Glamorous Life of a Sister Missionary"


Hola Amigos!
This past week has been a great one and I can't believe that I'll be leaving here and getting a new companion in just a few days. Nothing super exciting to write about --
lots of studying,
teaching,
eating,
walks around & around & around & around the temple,
devos, 
and writing & reading letters.
Exciting, right?
 
Last Friday my district got the chance to go out in the field and go on splits with one of the girls serving there. I was with Hermana Cofe (sp?) and she was seriously the best. She's from Oregon, hilarious and Tongan, need I say more? She was so positive, encouraging and watching her focus while we worked was amazing to me. The people here talk SO fast and slur their words together, but honestly it was just really fun to get out there and talk to people. She has only been out in the field for less than two transfers (almost three months) and even though her Spanish wasn't perfect and she didn't understand every thing that was said, she just kept telling me not to worry. She told me not to make the Spanish a problem, just keep working and it will come. The people are so different here, if you just say a passing como esta they will immediately stop and talk to you, instead of doing anything to avoid eye contact and rush to wherever they're headed.
 
People can be messy, grumpy and crazy, 
but they are also interesting, unique, and kind. 
I like people.
 
Besides our time out with the sisters I've just been trying to soak up the rest of my time here. 
There is so much joy in the journey.
 I think in the past, I viewed happiness and fun
 as things that were only found in easy comfortable situations, 
but I'm learning that that is far from true. 

The comfortable easy moments are far and few between here, 
but the moment I reach a goal or accomplish something, that joy is unreal.
 It's hard not to look at the end of my mission or the future, but that's my new goal, to live right now, as corny as that sounds. 
The middle is the most important part, there is a lot more middle.
Embrace it, life is crazy!
 

Also I am in love with Emily and Hna Munive, they dropped by a sweet note, rose and cookies! They were delicious, I swear they are my angels out here, they are so good at looking out for me! Brother Munive just got called to be a mission president in Mexico, so they'll be leaving me in a few months, but I am also sooo stoked for them!!
 
I'll keep you updated, maybe I'll have real news soon!!
 
love,
hna coe
or the new one "hna coe-uote"
(apparently I have a fun name)
 
p.s. I'll be leaving the CCM tuesday (26th) so make sure to send letters to the DR Santo Domingo East Mission on dearelder from here on out.  I'll update my mailing address as soon as I get it figured out (I think there is an address for the mission office in florida until then.) The CCM will also forward anything they get that comes after I leave so no worries if you sent something that hasn't made it yet
 
p.p.s. And my new p-day will be Mondays! I leave here on tuesday so I will miss it next week, but an update will be heading to you in a week and a half!
 


   
Oatmeal -- I'm obsessed!!
The kind they make here is super soupy and tastes like cinnamon sugar. I eat it every morning with bananas . . . who would have thought? 
Remember that one time that it was
 "the only food I didn't like"?
Apparently, that is now taken over by banana lasagna!

Friday 15 March 2013

Success!

We sent a small package to Kenzie a couple weeks ago (mostly because she forgot to pack her retainers...!!), but I am excited to report that she actually got it! (took about 10 days)

Here's the address we used (just in case you are thinking of sending her some love)

Hermana Mackenzie Anne Coe
Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo East Mission
Avenida Bolivar #45 (con Dr. Delgado)
Gazcue
Dominican Republic

love,

sue

Thanks for the Love!!


"May I share with you a formula 
that, in my judgement, will help you and help me 
to journey well through mortality... 
First, fill your mind with truth, 
second, fill your life with service, and third, fill your heart with love."
-Thomas S. Monson

Today I feel loved. I honestly wasn't planning on posting on my blog because this week was so hard and I wanted to devote all my email time to family, but I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't leave a quick note of gratitude.

Thank you to my sweet family and friends. I have always known that I've been blessed with a crazy awesome support system. But it was so neat to see it in action this week, your letters and notes and love are so greatly appreciated.

Can't believe that my first month is already over! I have my first day out in the field tomorrow (we do splits with the missionaries serving here this friday and next friday.) It will be so nice to get outside.

Yesterday my companion and I realized we hadn't been outside the CCM in like three days, and so during our ten minute break from class, we hurried downstairs. Without even saying anything to each other, we both started sprinting across the parking lot to take a walk around the temple on the grass. It was the best, most freeing feeling ever. We both started cracking up when we thought of how funny it would look to see us running in our skirts, if any of our leaders looked out the window of their offices. That night at dinner Hermana Freestone (the mission president's wife) said, "I saw two girls that looked like you walking to the temple this afternoon" and we started cracking up; I think it was her way of trying to find out what had been going on.
Hope you have a fabulous week!
much love,
hermana kenzie coe

p.s. Snail mail is super unreliable, got a letter from grandma and one from Harriet but haven't gotten anything else, and I know that Katherine has sent me a couple. Such a bummer because getting it is the best!  So I hate to think about what else I may be missing!
So, at this point the best bet to write me is using 'dearelder.com', pouchmail or email!

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Hola! Te Amo!


"The greatest decision I ever made in my life 
was to give up something I dearly loved
 to the God I loved even more. 
He has never forgotten me for it"
-Benjamin Landart

So I've hit my halfway point in the CCM! Scary right? I feel like I still have so much more to learn but I'm so antsy to get out and teach and contact and soak it all in. Still learning Spanish slowwwly, still adoring my district, still working, still loving letters, playing lots of volleyball (still not very good), eating lots of beans, bananas, rice, and mystery meat, and loving any chances I get just to sit and think.



This week I've had a lot of opportunities to sing with my district. I can't begin to describe to you how much I love it. Music is so powerful and I'm bummed it hasn't been a bigger part of my life these past few years. I'm so excited to make up for it now! We sing all of our hymns in spanish and they are so beautiful.

We live up on the 4th floor of the building, and aren't allowed to use the elevator, so we go up and down the stairs ALOT.  My companion and I have started running them, since we feel like we never move during the day.  It's always entertaining when we come around a corner and scare the people coming down the stairs as we race up.

We made a picture collage in our room! Feels so much more like home. Also excuse the fact that I look like a midget, it is what it is.

Mom, this one is for you! So, it turns out "country crock" is not only a staple in the Honey BooBoo family, we go through one of those huge tubs every 4 days -- it is so gnarly. You'd think the stuff was frosting. Would you like some bread with your butter?

My english is becoming atrocious! I constantly find myself making crazy spelling mistakes. Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my English but not finding my Spanish. I may come home mute...   For example, last week in my letter to the CCM president (we write him weekly answering questions about our week),  I told him I studied scripture "changes" instead of scripture "chains."  And when I was writing out this blog post I wrote "hear at the mtc" instead of "here."  No bueno!!

Much love to all, I'm so grateful to be where I am, and with the people I am with.  There are lots of ups and downs (LIKE LOTS), but there isn't a day that goes by that I don't see the Savior's hand in my life in some small way.  Dios nos ama y somos sus hijos.

Life isn't easy, but life is beautiful!
Hermana Coe